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V Praze probíhá stávka kvůli sporům mezi místostarostkou Janou Komrskovou a zaměstnanci společnosti PSAS, kteří se zabývají odpadovým hospodářstvím. Zaměstnanci kritizují Komrskovou za její chování a chtějí zvýšení mezd. Asi 150 zaměstnanců přišlo protestovat. Komrsková chce zlepšit situaci a jednat o mzdách, ale rozhodnutí zůstává na vedení firmy.
Translation
In Prague, a strike is taking place due to disputes between Deputy Mayor Jana Komrsková and employees of the PSAS company, who are involved in waste management. The employees are criticising Komrsková for her behaviour and are demanding higher wages. Around 150 employees came to protest. Komrsková aims to improve the situation and negotiate wages, but the decision rests with the company management.
Exercise: Text comprehension
Question 1: Who is the local official involved in the dispute with the waste management employees?
The local official involved is Jana Komrsková.
Question 2: How many employees came to protest in Prague?
About 150 employees came to protest.
Exercise: Vocabulary
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▌04/03/2025
The largest union within Prague Services (PSAS), responsible for waste management and other services in the Czech capital, has declared a strike alert in response to actions taken by the Deputy Mayor, Jana Komrsková. The union accuses her of unfriendly behaviour towards the company and its employees, particularly highlighted by her repeated efforts to dismiss the company's director, Patrik Roman.
According to union leader Miloslav Jukl, Komrsková has been inadequate in protecting employee interests, especially concerning wage issues. This friction led to letters of complaint being sent to the city's administration, criticising the deputy mayor's conduct. The company’s supervisory board recently convened to discuss the matter but did not approve Roman's dismissal.
Prague Services employs around 2,000 people and is entirely owned by the city. They offer vital functions such as waste collection for approximately two-thirds of the city, road maintenance, and operate an energy recovery facility. The dispute has prompted company execs and union leaders to demand halting attempted organisational splits, raising the wage budget, and removing Komrsková's oversight of PSAS.
Prague's Waste Company Faces Staff Strike Alert (Illustration)
Komrsková's rationale for wanting to remove Roman centres on his alleged connections with a company, JAPOS - STAV, that has received substantial, supposedly overpriced contracts from Prague Services, totaling 130 million Czech crowns over three years. Furthermore, the company is reportedly using a property owned by Roman, casting doubt on a potential conflict of interest. However, Roman disputes these allegations, citing the recent legal clearance of the accusations, and accuses Komrsková of persistently meddling in the company's management.
The tension escalated when about 150 PSAS employees, dressed in orange vests, gathered in protest outside the company offices, brandishing signs accusing Komrsková of harassment and neglecting their needs, particularly regarding wage adjustments. Wages within Prague Services have not risen at the pace seen in other sectors like the transport department, causing discontent among employees.
Despite the legal disputes, the deputy mayor has expressed willingness to negotiate with the union, reasserting her support for wage increases but noting that any decision lies with the company's board. Meanwhile, Roman has suggested that a viable long-term solution requires city payments for services to accommodate inflation better, as current attempts to mitigate wage issues through internal savings are unsustainable.
Last year, Prague Services reported an after-tax profit of approximately 405.6 million Czech crowns, marking a significant increase primarily due to favourable conditions in the energy market and additional revenue from their energy outputs from the Malešice facility.
Info: 'Czech Learner News' is a service from 'Let's Learn Czech', a language school dedicated to teaching Czech. We offer various online courses, including an introductory course that covers Czech for beginners, to guide learners through the essentials of the Czech language.
